A few weeks ago when Jacquie’s parents were still here we rented a car for 3 days and took off to Comitan – a city about 1 HR south of San Cristobal. While we walked around the center of town a bit we also took several excursions to go swimming, see a Mayan archeological site and visit an impressive waterfall. Check out more pictures from the trip in our photo gallery.
It has already been over a week since we returned from our MCC Team Retreat in Guerrero. While the travel was a bit taxing (in all we took 6 modes of travel – airplane, bus, metro, taxi, truck, and donkey!) it was a great experience to reunite with our fellow MCCers and also learn more about the work the Friesen-Pankratz family has been doing in the villa
ge of Zacango, a small village of 250 people, for the past 2+ years. MCC has had a presence in the mountain region of Guerrero for many years focusing on low-cost, appropriate technology for rural families, such as concrete water cisterns, dry latrines, and earthen stoves (I, Rick, was a part of the Guerrero team in 1998 when we were based out of Tlapa de Comonfort). As MCC winds down its presence in Guerrero, it has been important to properly transition the work and materials to the community. One of the events of the weekend saw MCC officially hand over the molds for the concrete cisterns to a community cooperative to continue the work.
Some of the highlights over the 2 days were…. a donkey ride out to the milpa (corn field) of a local family, to learn about the annual activities, culture and significance of maiz….. Food was plentiful! We had some great pizza the first day prepared by a group of ladies who meet weekly a to bake a variety of Mexican/north American food, and of course others prepared “pollo en mole” and “pozole” for us the second day (rural Guerrero has some of the best of these Mexican dishes)…….. a presentation by a group of young ladies who have been taking computer classes and are now publishing Zacango’s first and only monthly newsletter.
There were also volleyball games, pinata’s, and good team sharing. Jamie, Bruce, Zam, Heize and Ziko did a great job of sharing their home with us and organizing the weekend – thanks guys! The kids had a great time too playing with friends, running around
the countryside and did amazing with all the travels. Thanks for your prayers for our safety.
What was impressed on us the most during this trip was while it can be evident as to the things MCCers can bring to the communities in which they live, we as MCCers are perhaps the greatest recipients of blessing, and impact. The folks in Zacango generously and humbly showed us the richness of life that exists in rural Mexico, in a region where life can be tough, but through a commitment to hospitality, generosity, friendliness and hard work ethic, life is also beautiful and dignified.
A Demonstration of Corn De-Kernelling
While my (Jacquie) previous posts have been more thematic the past month (mes in spanish) has flown by so quickly that it is hard to pick any on thought to focus one and so I feel more inclined to share a few of the various experiences and thoughts that have made up the past few weeks between Hilary’s 2nd birthday (Feb 19th) and Rick’s 37th birthday (March 15th – yes today!), which has also included the current visit of my parents to San Cristobal – and thus the reason for the lack of blog entries. Why spend time typing on a computer when you get to visit your family right in front of you! Hilary seemed like she was 2 quite a bit before her second birthday as she is quite a bit of a go getter having definite strengths in ability to quite gracefully get around and doing things “my self.” As my mother commented this evening she is not one to be outdone by her older brother! She is full on into learning her colors, singing most of the alphabet song, and helping me to bake cookies. Most remarkably she has an almost scary ability to do parts of puzzles intended for 4 or 5 year olds. Yet she is still my little baby and finds herself often in our bed cuddling in the morning and letting me know that she needs me to “holda her” or in general shouts out “mommy I need you”!
Feliz Cumpleanos Hilary
We enjoyed a good Mexican fiesta to celebrate her birthday, complete with tortillas and a pinata with the wonderful community of friends we have made her in the past few months.
A Birthday Ride
This month Ezra has also very much settled into his routine of going to school from about 10-2 everyday. All three of us make the 15 min interesting walking journey through the busy street that leads us from our house to his school passing by various stores and street venders selling most anything you could think of food, clothing , hardware & sometimes playing english music (this morning I heard a classic Rick Astley song), we often also see cerditos – little pigs – being sold on the side or perhaps someone holding several turkeys upside down either going to sell them or having just bought them i’m not sure. My Dad has commented that you could take this journey everyday and still see something a bit new – he has especially been enjoying the diversity of life around our neighbourhood here in San Cristobal. At his school Ezra is starting to understand more and more Spanish all the time and comes home often with a new word or singing a Spanish song, although the other day he admitted to my parents that sometimes he just says Si – yes – even when he has no idea what his teacher is saying! (Hey i do the same thing). We are fairly confident now that his best little buddy he made in the first weeks of school is not returning and it saddens me that he already need to feel the lose of friendship and of having to make new friends, but he seems to be adjusting quite well and the other day he said he was going to pray to make a new friend.  He is also having more good times playing with the son of my good friend Rebecca at our weekly playgroups who speaks both English and Spanish – yes another blessing! I am thankful that Ezra’s school continues to be a place for him to be loved, cared for, given time to explore on his own, learn Spanish, make new friends and this past month gain a growing appreciation for drawing and coloring.
I have already mentioned several times that my parents are visting  us this month – what a treat! They have rented a home about a 15 – 20 min. walk away and so for the past 2 weeks we have enjoyed sharing meals at each other homes, touring around places in San Cristobal, hearing my parents make many courageous attempts at speaking words in Spanish, having my dad help us figure out new colectivo (bus) routes, enjoying some shopping and lunch dates with my mom, showing off all the new things our kids are into or doing, and just in general visiting and having some babysitters! They are here for 2 more weeks and we look forward to a bit of a holiday/excursion with them next week which i’m sure will leave us all with even more good memories.
Abuelo y Abuela
Rick is actually celebrating his birthday today somewhere out in the countryside of Chiapas as he is on a 3 day trip. I was able to talk to him for 5 min today via cellphone before mine ran out of minutes but not before he could tell me that he was treated to a nice dish of boiled snails for breakfast – thankfully he is always a gracious eater with a hearty stomach to help when many different foods are needed to be tried. While we are all experiencing adventure here in Mexico his work has meant even more for him – but for the most part he’s loving it.
For me I have been happy this last week in being more bold and able to communicate with the various people I meet on the street, with friends, basketball teammates and taxi drivers. There is so much to learn but progress is encouraging. I’m also getting closer at defining what my part-time volunteer service which I will hopefully start in April – more details to come.
This month also starts the beginning of the season of lent which will conclude with 2 weeks off from school and work for Holy Week and other festivities. We look forward to experiencing the Easter season in the new culture. We also look forward to a MCC Mexico Team retreat this weekend in the state of Guerrero which means reconnecting with friends and colleagues for some business and socializing but also traveling by several modes of transport including airplane, bus, taxi, and donkey – we will tell you all about it soon. For now it is too late for me to be up so i’ll post this without editing or adding pictures which perhaps I will do both of tomorrow.
For anyone who has learned a second or perhaps third language, they may recall for you how interesting the process can be, particularly those words that seem to be packed with meaning, whether that be strictly information, but also at times nuance, history, and emotion. My focus in this post is to relay to you some of the more important words (and photos and the end, but please read on….) I am learning through experience, especially via my travels to out-lying communities in which I work. A hearty disclaimer here to say that I remain very much in the midst of understanding the depth of meaning to the these words from which I learn by, and likely will for another 3 years…..
“Migra” – short form for migracion (migration). The national department for migration keeps very close attention to the movement of people and goods on the shared border with Guatemala. I was unbelievably lucky my first trip out to several communities – having not known that we would be entering “border country”, which is patrolled by both migra officials and the Mexican military – on several occasions we were stopped but no one asked me to show identification…whew! a lesson learned, and now I travel with proper ID whenever heading out the “zona fronteriza”. As a side note, MCC has a presence in this region due to all the way back in the 80’s when MCC worked with Guatemalan refugees who had fled their civil war-torn country to re-settle. Recently while riding in a truck with a local campesino from the region, he told us of how hard the Guatemalan refugees have worked over many years to make a life for themselves on some pretty hard-scrabble land. On another occasion, during the normal migra check-points, two young folks in my combi were asked to show papers and then quite handily escorted out….somehow the migra officials can identify those who are Guatemalan, and in particular those who appear to be on the move….
(La) Playa, meaning (the) beach – also related to people on the move, I recently understood the difference between the response to the question “A donde va” (where are you going?). The response of “playa” without the “La” is highly significant. Instead of meaning that I am going to the beach (aka vacation), it means I am headed to Playa del Carmen to work in some capacity, as a maid, as an attendant, as a carpenter’s helper….some have commented to me that they enjoy the work, often months at a time before leaving again back home to bring support to the family, while I also heard a sad story of someone who went, and worked in vain for several weeks on the promise of being paid.
Paro – meaning a stop, or in the case of Chiapas, surely means a road blockage in protest of real and perceived injustice (I say real and perceived here b/c I have a hard time understanding the depth of the issues, and so do many others!). Needless to say, paros are an occasional occurrence – for example recently there have been paros on the highway connecting San Cristobal to Palenque, which travels through many Indigenous municipalities, which includes fascinating cultural and geographical places for thousands of visitors each year. Issues around rights to access, and the fee usage that goes along (aka, I have to pay say 30 pesos to visit a place of interest….to whom should the money go, and to what end?) with it exist between and amongst the municipalities, and the state and federal governments. Currently the federal government has an agenda of privatizing more land for big-tourism development, which of course hurts the traditional, small businesses that many families in the region rely upon. With the history of land expropriation and militarization in this area, tensions run high, and paros are often their focal point. One day, about 15 minutes after we had left, our combi choffure realized a paro was up ahead…so away we went, coursing through some mountain trails…at one point needing all the passengers to get out and push the combi through a wet section….it resulted in everyone in the combi having a great visit over the following hour (the typical is that everyone is silent/sleeping).
“Madru” (Madrugada) – literally meaning the middle of the night, or 3 in the morning, it is the general time of the day when many campesinos (especially the women) are rising to begin the day’s activities. Its this word whose meaning has perhaps impressed me the most, as I spend time in the campo and learn about the way of life of Chiapas’ campesinos. For many of us Canadians, we have often thought of Mexico as a place where things slow down to a more relaxed pace of life, having siesta and all (not that thats a bad thing, I had one today!), BUT I do wish to tell of the incredible hard work, dedication and holding to the value of not complaining, that characterizes the adults and children in the campo. We have had numerous mornings leaving communities at 4 am, and its not so surprising to me anymore to see men out walking to their fields, women prepping the masa (corn flour for tortillas) for the day, and others getting their produce ready to take to market in the nearest city. Just days ago, after realizing that several members had a time conflict with a seeding workshop that we had planned, the group asked if we could begin our workshop at 6 am so that no one would miss out!  And they all showed up, some even with their school-age children so as to give them an opportunity to learn as well (the humorous sidenote to my recent trip was the obvious observation that my hands, though I grew up on the farm and am working as an agronomist, are not in the same shape as the campesinos with whom I work…..thus Hilary now keeps picking at the healing blisters and says/asks, “daddy, working in the garden?”).
I have a few more words that stick out these days, and have decided to run a Part Two in this blog post….these include…Ecumenismo, Plaga, Criolla……
Below I have pasted a number of photos and some captions that hopefully give you a sense of the land and people with whom I work. As a family, in considering both ourselves and the community of San Cristobal / Chiapas, we thank God that his hand is upon us…that he knows our coming and going…that the prayers of many do not go unanswered….and that he continues to redeem our fellowship one with another, and with his creation.
region of Amatenango, south of San Cristobal
high altitude town of Zapotillo
Pacayal Viejo, coffee community way back in the mountains
drying the harvest...1 cup kept me up most of the night!
Don Jorge's garden at Pablo L Sidar
Some women from the group in Pablo L Sidar making "pan" for a fiesta
Vegetables...to feed families and stimulate ecumenical community action!
Some recent thoughts. While not necessarily profound or an agreeable point of view for everyone, they are both meaningful and heartfelt to me.
I find it interesting how at certain times in my life a specific book or passage of the Bible really speaks to me. I remember well, finding much truth and inspiration in the book of 1 Peter, in particular the first chapter, during a mission trip to Calgary I helped lead on behalf of Bethany College in 2002. The combination of a great group of first year students (miss you N.T.), a new experience doing missions in inner city Canada, a strong sense of God’s Spirit, and readings in 1 Peter all made for a memorable week. I have gone back to 1 Peter at other times since and find myself there again this week. The book is written to a group of Christians suffering for their faith, a group in whom Peter is trying to inspire a sense of hope - not only for the future but for what their struggles are producing in them at the moment. Here are a few sample lines from 1 Peter 1:1-12:
“he has given us a new birth into a living hope”;”an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade”;”for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds”;”your faith maybe be proved genuine..and result in praise, glory when JC is revealed”;”you… are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy”;”for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Symbols of Hope -Â Christ's Death and Resurrection
So what does it mean to me to have a a living hope? To me its not simply a wishful hope but a powerful hope, a hope for goodness, peacefulness, and renewed life, a hope that transformation and reconciliation individually and corporately are possible. If I can believe that a man can be raised from the dead can I not also believe and have hope that these things can and will come to be? I am by nature a more pessimistic person, often prone to think of negative consequences, and feeling the need to anticipate the possible negative outcomes of situations. Being married to a more natural optimistic has presented challenges to this thinking, challenges in the sense of frustration in both his optimism and in my pessimism. Yet recently, I read an article that presented a third alternative, hopefulness. And while I can not find the original reading I came across another that points in some of the same direction (I’m not sure if I like this as much as the other nor I have done no research on the author, but oh well…).
For example, when facing a simple situation like loosing something I try (while asking for God’s help) to not focus on the thought – its lost, i’ll never find it- and instead think well perhaps it will show up, and if not I guess I can still be happy without it. A second important step for me is to take some kind of action as a means to carry myself past my disappoint and move on to something else. Obviously life can present itself with much more heartfelt concerns and difficulties than this, but in wanting to change I find it important to start with small things that seem more feasible to work through. In general, my attempt to turn from pessimism to hope is perhaps brought on by a desire to have more confidence and trust in God’s love and plan for me, and for the world in which I live. Or said another way, to work on letting go of the real fears and frustrations that I am prone to dwell on and instead embrace and live with joy, thankfulness, and peacefulness based on the good things I do experience everyday. I do this in the knowledge that there is an end goal that has been bought for us, and promised to us – not only to be experienced ultimately in a world to come, but also partially and meaningfully in the present.
3 Reasons for Joy and Thankfulness
Well now that the kids are finally in bed I can begin compiling my thoughts, which have been simmering for a couple of weeks now, in particular because I have begun my work in a formal manner, and as well because this past week saw the passing of “Tatik” (Father) Samuel Ruiz, former bishop for the diocese of San Cristobal de las Casas.
As an MCC worker seconded to a local peace-building organization, the passing of Tatik Samuel (as he was known locally) was occasion for all normal activities to stop, and for the pueblo (people) to convene in San Cristobal to collectively pay tribute to a man who committed his life to serving God’s kingdom and people. He spent approximately 50 years serving in the diocese of San Cristobal, focusing his ministry with Indigenous communities in the struggle to attain healthy communities and justice for all who have lived in Chiapas for centuries. For a full summary of his life and work, please see the link attached, which is his obituary via the Associated Press. Here I’d like to share some more personal notes from the 3 days we spent in commemoration of his life. Perhaps my best analytical point is that I am too new to Chiapas to really have a solid analysis of what his life and work meant to the region. But nonetheless, having attended two Mass ceremonies and a memorial service put on by a coalition of organizations (many of whom he helped to establish), I will share a few words that reflect what I absorbed…..perseverance and calm in the face of struggle……focus on the work God appoints…..the tension of bringing Christ and his message meaningfully to the Maya culture……strong political movement divorced from spiritual foundations……a surprising number of bohemian white folks carrying very expensive camera and video equipment!
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/tribnet/obituary.aspx?n=samuel-ruiz&pid=148083389
Outdoor Mass for Tatik Samuel, january 26, 2011
Maya ceremony for Tatik Samuel
At a time when Christian faith communities wereseverely divided (and militant), Samuel Ruiz was a voice for peace and and understanding, a contextual piece of the story of Chiapas, and a substantial reason for MCC’s presence in the region. While many faith-based divides and misunderstandings remain, there are communities and groups that are striving to work together to demonstrate God’s unifying power…I am fortunate that I get to work with 7 such community groups, focused on overcoming practical issues that challenge all in the community, such as food security and nutrition.
Two weeks ago I took my first trip to the “campo” or country-side – we were celebrating the 3-yr diplomas received by the the families that have been involved in the family gardening project since its inception in 2007. I could certainly go on and on about the natural beauty of the area (along Guatemala border south of Comitan) – one community is at about 4000m above sea level, and you are always either going sharply uphill or downhill – another community lies in a coffee-growing region, and several folks from the group have a nearly self-sustainable operation in terms of food, the kind you see in agro-ecology textbooks. In a couple of weeks we begin delivering technical and group-building workshops for each of the groups….this is where I get a bit nervous and hopeful that my Spanish skills are adequate. Based on my reception in the two communities I have already visited, I think I’ll be able to get away with some vocabulary and grammar flaws! Not wanting to set a negative precedent I did not bring my camera, and will only slowly begin documenting my work through photos as trust and friendship develop.
Lastly, I’d like to leave two parting photos of Ezra and Hilary, who each day are a joy to be with and show their resilience and vulnerability in uprooting and learning many new things along with their parents. By God’s grace we live and enjoy the knitted togetherness He has authored.
Hilary, Museo Na Bolom, San Cristobal de las Casas
Ezra, Museo Na Bolom, San Cristobal de las Casas
It was probably just a week ago now that I was feeling quite anxious about Ezra, wondering, hoping, praying that he would begin to be more comfortable and less fearful in being at school. Up until that point I had been spending most of the day hanging around and trying my best to positively encourage him as he took small steps of independence. Around this time from a small book on my bedside table called “Breath Prayers for Mothers” I was reminded of my need to pray for my children. “Lift up your hands to him in prayer. Plead for your children” (Lam 2:19). One week later I sense my prayers have been partially answered in a little boy named Gabriel (Gaby for short), Ezra’s new friend at school. At the end of last week, in a moment of courage Ezra reached out and tried to get involved in the play of some other little boys in the playground and before I knew it he had a couple of boys excited about running across the small schoolyard to do some pretending. It was a little humurous since he was talking in English which i’m sure they weren’t understanding… but it didn’t seem to bother them or Ezra. Another connection later in the day was made, again with Gaby, over a mutual interest in pretending sticks were guns (oops, not an overly mcc thing to talk about) and by the next time Ezra needed to go in his classroom he was much more content and happy to go along, especially wanting to make sure he can sit beside his new buddy. Like I said.. the difference a friend can make. Now this isn’t to say Ezra still does not have some struggles – at times he’s not interested in joining the class, and his play is limited because he can’t really talk to his classmates, but there is a bit of a different spirit in him and today after missing school over a short fever he says he’s wanting to go to school tomorrow to see his friend again.
Now Ezra isn’t the only one who is being encouraged by some new friendships. About a month ago I decided to persevere on a day when Rick was out of town and with my two kids in search for a Christmas Cookie bake sale. While the cookies were yummy, what I also found was a young woman close to my age, an American whose parents have been missionaries here for 30 years, so yes essentially Mexico is her home. This brief connection also lead to an invitation to a weekly playgroup at a local restaurant, and a baby shower I attended last weekend. Already I have been quite blessed by this small group of mostly extranjero women who have married Mexicans and are now living in San Cristobal. I have thought a few times, if I would have not gone to that bake sale I would have been missing out on a lot more than some good Christmas cookies! In this regard, I am reminded of something my brother in law encouraged/challenged me with once, you can’t just wait around hoping for things in your life, you need to be a part of making them happen (thanks Robere). It is clear to me that God was involved in letting me see that tiny bake sale sign and prodding me not to say, ah forget it…as well I am also thankful for the courage he gave me, and the courage he gave Ezra to step out and experience the answers to prayer that he was desiring to provide.
I hope to write a new post in the next few days but for now some new pictures in our photo gallery under San Cristobal will have to do. Most of the pictures were from our first weeks in January including many from the time Rick’s parents came to visit. Also check out the link on the sidebar to “Luke’s Photos” a fellow Mexico MCCer (a great photographer with a very nice camera) who has some great shots of life here in Mexico, some of us, some of San Cristobal, and some of the MCC Mexico team, etc.
So yesterday marked the beginning of a new phase to our life here in Mexico, in part because it marked the beginning of Ezra’s school days and also Rick’s official beginning at INESIN. Ezra could hardly wait to get out the door and I was happy to hear him be excited about the adventure at the end of the morning – but yes there were a few tears and anxious moments along the way. We are thankful that his small, alternative, spanish school called “Pinguinos” is happy to have Hilary and I be around the school for these first days/weeks.
Off to School
For his first day we joined Ezra and his class and for some of the activities and by today we encouraged him to do a bit more on his own – so far we are doing pretty good. I have seen a few smiles on Ezra’s face while his class played games, painted and when his one teacher – Ester – pays special attention to him gets him giggling a bit too. Yet, Ezra is also much of an observer in new situations so it will take a bit for him to get right in there. But I am very proud of him! Pinguinos has about 55 kids ages 3 – 10 including mexican, indigenous and foreign children half of whom are there on bursary. Its a good place for Ezra to have some more typical preschool experiences while also getting to interact with kids from different ethnic and economic backgrounds. (I’m sure I’ll share more about his experience and the school in the future). While at times I have felt unsure about starting Ezra in school at this point in his young life, I also do think these next 6 months of preschool for Ezra will be helpful for him to learn Spanish, give him more diverse things to do in his day, get to know some friends and learn some good things from his teachers and from being involved in a group setting.
Play Time
Hilary and I are also enjoying visiting Ezra’s school and playing around there together. And while at times I feel a sense of loss in being away from Ezra it also gives me new opportunities to have focused time with Hilary who is talking lots, can be quite entertaining, and loves to try to attempt most things by “self.” Where Hilary and I all end in regards to my volunteer work and her care is still up in the air, but we are focusing on getting Ezra settled and thinking and praying about different options for the future.
Rick has also begun at INESIN (see the website link under our “work life” section). Today felt pretty good as we all exited the house at 8:30 am, Rick off on his new/used Mexican bike and the kids and I off on our sit and stand stroller (which while it hasn’t been used all the time in our travels so far it is a big help in this new school routine, thanks Michele and Mom Falk). Rick continues to be excited for work and the great community of people he will be working alongside. I have felt a strong sense of God’s spirit in the leadership and have enjoyed the ecumenical focus of the group. The kids and I feel very welcomed and appreciat
ed when we visit the “compound” – it even has a trampoline! I look forward to more thoughts from Rick somewhere down the road about his work. For now, I should mention that we enjoyed some time at INESIN and other places this past week with a group of guys from Nebraska who were doing some painting work at INESIN as part of their MCC Mexico Work and Learn Tour – http://mcc.org/getinvolved/learningtours.
And so a new part of our adventure begins…
A good portion of you who read this blog may wonder what the deal is with the term “Tabicones”…….years ago my Mexican co-workers named me ricardo marc-antonio tabicon, which is the literal translation of my name. The Spanish translation of Block is typically used in the construction business, and “tabicon” is used to describe one such type of block used in building houses. MMmmmmmm….
So the title of this post specifically refers to other “Tabicones” in San Cristobal – namely, my parents Peter and Margaret Block, who blessed us with a visit. They had a scheduled vacation in Huatulco (Oaxaca state), and took a 9-hour bus ride overnight to come visit us for 3 days. Their mission was two-fold 1) to check out the locale where we are settling in for the next 3 years, and 2) to play, hug, laugh, tease and enjoy the grandkids. But they also did a magnificent job of blessing us and showing their sincere interest and desire to understand the work of MCC in Chiapas (one that I will describe in another post…perhaps in a couple of months after I get fully involved at work.
We walked through the markets, visited churches, and celebrated communion with our brothers and sisters in Christ in a very small Church of Christ congregation in our Colonia (neighborhood). The trip to San Juan Chamula was fascinating, to see the cultural (i.e. Mayan Indigenous) influence on the local Catholic parish. We also enjoyed lots of good discussion, usually over wonderful food – Mexican, Mennonite, and sometimes a mezcla (mixture) of the two. I don’t mind saying here that Jacquie has been cooking up wonderful meals for our family…I think I’m correct in saying that she has been enjoying exploring and experimenting with new foods and ingredients.
I’ll leave you with a few photos below taken while my parents were visiting……happy new year to all of you!
Historic church and cemetery in San Juan Chamula
Dad and Mom Block with Ezra and Hilary at the Church of Guadelupe in San Cristobal
Just had to buy some plants on this busy market day to begin our jardin